A New You
by Audrey K
Summary: Sharpay has a bad rap sheet. She’s selfish, dramatic, demanding, and downright mean… until now. Rated M for possible future chapters. On hiatus.
1. Seeing You

**Author's Note: Sharpay has a bad rap sheet. She's selfish, dramatic, demanding, and downright mean… until now.**

**I hope to bring new light upon her character and why she feels so strongly for Troy.**

**This is NOT a Troy and Sharpay story mind you. Troy dates Gabriella, just like in the movie- there is NO change to that. In all honesty, I'm writing this story to get a version of Sharpay that is not so hard to tolerate out there, and if you find yourself enjoying this story along the way, then that's simply fabulous. ;)**

The eighth grade class sluggishly jotted down their history notes, the whir of the air conditioning unit lulling most of them into a comatose state. The light thud of chalk hitting the board, and the gentle rustling of paper were the only other noises throughout the stuffy room.

A screeching noise resounded as several students glanced over in the direction of Taylor McKessie. She painstakingly highlighted phrase after phrase, allowing the thick neon green liquid to methodically drag across the page.

Sharpay sat to her right, staring at the girl's movements. She watched as the pen lifted, before being drug across the next string of words, and the next, and the next, and the next.

She huffed to herself- an audible noise, which earned an agitated roll of Taylor's eyes as she continued high-lighting.

Seeing that her unfaltering stare would not stop the incessant squeaking of the girls' pen, Sharpay focused her attention outside. Her right hand made small loops across her piece of paper, in case Mrs. Stockholm noticed she was daydreaming. She'd simply play it off that she was in fact writing notes, earning a forced, tight-lipped smile in her direction.

Sharpay was not the teacher's pet- far from it in fact, but her father owned multiple businesses around town in addition to his CEO status to the largest Fortune 500 business in New Mexico. The sheer fear most people held toward her was due in part to her last name; Evans. Evans were to not be messed with. It was like a special credence upon moving to Albuquerque. You didn't like an Evans family member? You kept it to yourself.

Several moments later, her thoughts filled with the nonsense of daydreams, a loud bell resounded, signaling the end to another anticlimactic Monday at East Junior High School.

Sharpay smoothed her long hair into a high ponytail, with the heat of the day finally catching up to her where she no longer wanted the long locks draped across her tiny shoulders. After several side glances at Taylor, whom she was still slightly annoyed with, she finally opened her mouth to say something to the girl.

"Sharpay, don't" was uttered before the blond had a chance to speak.

"Tell me one thing" she challenged.

Taylor waited, hands on her hips for the girl to gather her thoughts as she watched her mouth open and close while her word choice came and went.

"Evans, spit it out!" Taylor groaned. The girls had known each other since kindergarten and although they were not best friends, they were friendly toward one another.

"What's the point in highlighting the entire page? I thought we are supposed to pick out the key points," the girl shrugged.

"I found several dates to be of importance for the midterm."

"The _entire _page?" Sharpay asked.

Taylor shook her head, chuckling lightly to herself. Sharpay was quite the handful, but she did provide necessary and much needed comedic relief from time to time.

"See you around…" Taylor's voice trailed off as she hoisted her heavy backpack onto her shoulders and made her way toward the hallway.

Sharpay gave a small wave as she carelessly tossed both her book and pens into the over sized, magenta tote she carried.

Her eyes skimmed the room, noticing a fellow classmate straggling behind.

"Mr.Bolton, would you come up to my desk to discuss something?" Mrs. Stockholm practically barked.

Sharpay could have sworn she noticed his shoulders slump, as if he were cowering back. Troy Bolton, afraid? Never. She shook off the observation as nothing serious enough to further ponder over.

As she waltzed toward the door, she threw a cheerful smile over her shoulder at the boy.

"Bye Tro-" she exclaimed, but stopped herself noticing the slight pale look on his face. The familiar vibrant blue tint in his eyes was also gone. Was he sick?

Noticing the girl staring at him, he quickly smiled back, mumbling a goodbye of his own as he approached the front desk.

Sharpay turned once more before she left the classroom, noting his downcast eyes as Mrs. Stockholm began talking to him in a hushed, severe tone.

* * *

Turning down the long corridor, she found her younger (of two minutes) brother Ryan waiting for her. His demeanor perked as he straightened from his stance he'd taken, leaning against the lockers.

"Hi Shar!"

"Why are you so excited?" she asked, not feeling energetic in the least.

"We have tennis lessons today!" he exclaimed.

She groaned loudly, letting her bag slide off her shoulder and hit the floor with a loud thud as she leaned her face skyward, as if begging the heavens to not let this small truth be real.

"I _hate _those stupid lessons" she grumbled, taking hold of her lock and twisting the memorized digits into place.

"They're great!" Ryan practically cheered.

"You sound like Tony the Tiger" she sulked, extracting several notebooks from her locker and stuffing them into the tote bag at her feet.

Ryan shrugged, not wanting to argue with his sister, although his smile never faltered.

"It will be f-fun" his usual confident voice stuttered. Sharpay heard the shift in tone and her attitude changed as she softened. Glancing up at him, she gave a genuine smile and replied,

"I know Rye, I'm just tired today."

He nodded his head, feeling the bought of uneasiness subside.

"You okay?" she asked, a hint of concern teetering upon her voice.

"I'm okay" he smiled, knowing she'd heard the accidental previous stumble of words and had grown worried. He was doing well, and hardly anyone noticed the struggle anymore. It was perhaps their inevitable twin intuition that Ryan knew connected the two so closely.

She grinned upon hearing his answer and in one swift movement, stood from her crouched position and swung the rather heavy tote over her shoulder.

"So, you ready to get creamed?" she playfully challenged as the two made their way outside to wait for their mother to pick them up.

"You can talk the talk all you want, Shar" he joked, playfully bumping his hip against hers, causing her to stumble to which she scoffed.

"Hey! I'm not _that_ bad!" she pouted.

"Okay" Ryan smirked.

As she went to return the hip bump, she stopped her movements, clapping her hand against her forehead.

"Crap!"

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot my stupid calculator in class."

"We have tons at home. Mrs. Stockholm will just keep it in her desk. You can get it tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah-" she glanced down the hallway, the classroom was just a few feet away, "but I should just go grab it now while I'm here. I'll be right back, okay?" she dropped her bag at his feet, and took off down the hall, lightly trotting back toward her least favorite teacher's room.

* * *

As her feet lightly padded across the glazed tile floors, she skidded to a halt, hearing the flustered voice of a familiar male.

"I just- it's hard for me to understand…I-" his voice broke, and a loud sniffling noise resounded.

Sharpay frantically glanced at her brother waiting for her at the opposite end of the hallway. He held both arms up in a gesture of "what's up?"

He motioned for her to go into the room to retrieve her belongings.

She shook her head, holding up a finger to indicate he needed to wait just a moment.

Mrs. Stockholm's harsh voice sounded, and Sharpay immediately pressed herself up against the wall, too nervous to move for fear of causing a distraction and perhaps earning a detention of sorts. She glanced into the classroom, cursing herself for leaving behind the black calculator that sat atop her desk.

She held her breath as the woman spoke.

"Troy, you are in serious danger of failing not just this class but several others. Are you taking advantage of the after school tutoring?"

"Yes" he quietly answered.

"I spoke with your mother and she said you even have a tutor that comes to the house on the weekends. Do you find yourself understanding the material any better?"

"I thought so…" his voice trembled. Sharpay gulped upon hearing the normally confident boy sound so weak and broken.

"Well, obviously it's not enough. I'm going to discuss options with your other teachers, but if you fail any of your courses this semester, you will be held back."

A silent tension quieted the whole of the classroom.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes…" Troy barely whispered.

The two spoke in hushed tones that Sharpay could not hear. She wasn't supposed to know Troy was having trouble in class- Troy was their star. He was their go-to for everything.

She heard Ryan call from down the hallway.

"C'mon Shar, mom is outside!"

She waved for him to go ahead as she lifted herself from being flat against the wall and crept toward the other side of the room, hoping to go unnoticed so she could simply leave without confrontation and her calculator. Ryan was right, they had more at home.

As she went to step toward the door frame, she felt herself collide with a body.

"Oomph!" she cried, almost toppling forward.

An arm instinctively went out to grab hold of her.

She noticed right away it was Troy, and stiffened. As he helped her regain her balance, she noticed the bright red tint to his eyes. He'd been crying.

"Um, hey Troy, uh…" she couldn't land upon a single coherent word.

Suddenly, Mrs. Stockholm briskly walked outside the classroom. She pursed her lips in the direction of the two young students- her version of a smile as she turned on her heel, making her way toward the teacher's lounge.

Visibly calming as the distance between them and the woman grew, Sharpay searched Troy's eyes.

"How much did you hear?" he quietly asked, not taking his eyes off hers.

She could either lie or just tell the truth.

"Enough."

With that, Troy crumbled. He sniffled loudly, trying to suppress back the unwanted tears.

Sharpay's eyes widened. She didn't know what to do. Why was he crying? He'd pick his grades back up in not time. He wasn't dumb, that much she knew for sure.

Tugging on his arm, she pulled him into the classroom. The last thing he needed was for a fellow jock to see him openly crying in the hallway.

"Troy, it's going to be okay..." she softly began.

"How would you know?" he hissed, snapping his head upright and glaring at her.

The intense stare and sudden outburst caused her to flinch.

He sighed, not having meant to yell.

"I'm sorry. I'm just- I'm so _fucking_ stupid!" he growled.

"You are not, Troy."

"Yes I am. I'm failing almost all my classes. You heard her, I might be held back. I can't do it. I have so many tutors, and my parents are going to freak out when they find out none of it's working. I'm only good at sports. I wasn't meant to be some smart brainiac. I'll be the loser kid who can't read as fast as everyone, or finish my tests on time and I'll be held back. Chad and all the guys will go to high school and I'll be stuck here. And when I finally get to high school no one will want to talk to me because I'm the idiot who got held back…"

His shoulders shook lightly, and his hands immediately shot up to cover his face as his tears took hold of him once again.

Sharpay reached for his hand- she hadn't meant to touch him, it just happened. He allowed for her to lower his fingers from one side of his face as she nestled his palm within her grasp.

"Troy, you are not going to fail" she whispered.

"How do you know that?" he whimpered through the one hand that still covered his face.

"Because, I believe in you. You know about Ryan, right? People said the same thing about him."

His head tilted to the side before he spoke.

"No, I don't know about Ryan. What happened?"

"He stuttered badly. That's why he never really talked to anyone except me at school- he couldn't, and if he tried, they would have just made fun of him."

"Really?"

His eyes were wide now, never having noticed the quiet theater boy's stutter. They'd all grown up together and it had gone fairly unnoticed. He was rather quiet, but it wasn't like Ryan was some sort of mute.

"Yes, really. All his teachers were extremely worried he'd have to be in special ed classes forever. He's not stupid. He just had trouble voicing himself" she uncomfortably shrugged, feeling her cheeks burn as she noticed how candid she was being with Troy.

Normally, the two were infamous for their constant bickering.

"_TROY!!" she screamed, running after him on the playground._

"_Ha-ha, you have cooties!" he taunted in a sing-song voice._

"_Troy, give it back!" she bellowed. Her hands rested on her hips as she glared severely, causing her eyes to appear as tiny black slits._

"_And if I don't?" he countered, playful cheekiness cast upon his features._

"_I will KILL you!" _

_She charged forward in a flash, crashing into him as the two wrestled one another for ownership of the Barbie doll while other students formed a circle, and a low chant of "fight, fight, fight!" began to cause an uproar on the playground. _

That had only been three short years ago, and since then the two kept up a charade of light-hearted arguments, as they never seemed to see eye to eye. Their turmultuous past seemed to melt away as the small girl stood beside the brunette boy, holding his hand while his tears subsided.

"I don't know what else to do though. I'm trying" he sighed.

"Try harder, Troy. You can do it" she urged.

"You can do this" she confidently retorted, giving his hand a squeeze.

His toothy grin returned she noticed, smiling herself as he sheepishly looked into her eyes again.

They now stood facing one another. It was an awkward moment. Neither quite knew what to do. It wasn't exactly an attraction, but more of an understanding the two seemed to have developed in the brief exchange they'd just experienced.

Sharpay's eyes broke the unnerving stare they held as she noticed the calculator she'd come to collect.

"What?" he asked, his brow creasing with concern.

"Nothing, I just came to get my calculator. I should get going anyways, my mom is waiting outside."

"Tennis lessons…" her voice trailed off as she mentally slapped herself for the odd choice of words. Troy didn't care that she had tennis lessons, but she'd found herself blubbering along in a vain attempt to desperately rid herself of the emotions she internally battled.

"Cool" he grinned.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked, walking alongside him as they both exited the classroom, having let go of his hand which now gripped the cool plastic of the calculator.

"Definitely."

She lightly trotted back down the hallway to meet her brother and mom outside.

"Hey, Sharpay!" she heard his voice call after her. She stopped mid-step hearing his heavy sneakers pound across the tile as he quickly approached her.

"I just wanted to say um, thank you."

"For what?" she pondered.

"For being nice to me back there. You're not as bad as others might think."

She blushed at the compliment.

"It's not a big deal…"

"Thank you for being yourself. Look, I've got to head to basketball practice, but I won't say anything about Ryan. Just in case you were wondering."

"Okay" she nodded her head, the only movement she felt capable of executing that wouldn't leave her looking like an utter fool.

"Bye."

"Bye Troy."

She watched as he jogged down the hallway toward the gymnasium. In that moment things changed for Sharpay Evans. What had just transpired was confusing, even to her. She'd let her guard down. He'd seen a side of her she liked. It was like a veil had been lifted as the realization that Troy Bolton had seen her for the first time weighed down upon her.

She looked down at her hand, lightly grazing her fingers across the skin that had minutes ago been pressed against his. Looking up, she watched him round the corner and smiled to herself.

As she hopped into the front seat of her mother's large, black SUV she quickly apologized for making them wait.

"Why are you smiling?" Ryan asked from the backseat.

"What? I'm not smiling!" she answered a little too quickly and instantly frowned.

"Yes you are."

"I am not, Ryan!"

"Kids, please don't bicker…" their mother warned.

She looked out the window as they pulled away from the school making sure to position herself so Ryan couldn't see her face and start questioning her again, and the smile returned as she thought to herself,

"He saw **me**."


	2. Firsts

The first day of high school can present many different viewpoints according to whom you ask.

It can be thrilling, terrifying, difficult, overwhelming, or perhaps as laissez-faire as any typical day, no different than the previous.

For Sharpay, the fist day of school was **everything**.

She stood, a fluffy pink bath terry cloth towel wrapped around her form, as she bore her eyes into the various garments that slowly glided past her eyesight. Having literally purchased an entire new wardrobe, she now suddenly felt trepidations about every item of clothing she owned.

'_Too pink…'_

'_Too loose…'_

'_Too… ugly' _she thought to herself, frowning.

Lightly tapping her foot, she punched the remote, causing the cellophane to rustle gently as the speed of the rotating wardrobe increased.

Just as her patience was beginning to wear thin, the whites of her knuckles showing as her fists began to curl tighter into little balls, it appeared-

Grace as she knew it, perfection through painstakingly executed splendor. Fumbling with the remote in her excitement, she lunged toward the coveted designer dress.

Lifting it off the rack and watching as the various encrusted crystals hit the light, she smiled a genuine ray of satisfaction. Dolce and Gabbana always seemed to have that effect on her.

After several shoe changes, Sharpay decided that she would wear gold metallic flat sandals so that the focus could be on her dress.

A soft knock sounded outside her door.

"Come in!" she yelled, smoothing out a few wrinkles from the pristine charmeuse.

"Hey Shar, you ready to-" Ryan's voice trailed off.

"What Rye? What's wrong? You hate it don't you?! It's too pink, crap! What am I going to wear now?!" she began to ramble.

Ryan chuckled lightly, which caused her spluttering to cease as she furrowed her brow.

"What's so funny?" she asked, jutting her bottom lip out in a half-hearted pout.

"You look great Shar. I was just laughing because it's crazy we're here. This is high school now" Ryan replied, a wistful look in his eye.

Sharpay beamed, knowing that he was thinking of something else, a feat much bigger than the fact that they were now officially joining the ranks of high-school status. A few years ago no one would have believed Ryan would be joining them as they entered their freshman year.

"I can't believe it either and I'm so glad we get to go together."

Slight embarrassment graced across his cheeks as they began to warm. Ryan's stutter had almost cost him two years in primary school. He struggled with various tutors, after school programs to grasp the words he fought to express in a clear, fluid voice that could be easily understood by others.

With the continual support of his sister and parents, he surged forward in his recovery in order to beat the speech impediment he was born with.

Today was a day of firsts, but more so new beginnings for the Evans twins.

A knowing look unfolded between the two , ending with a nod from Ryan before he left her to finish getting ready.

Staring back at the mirror Sharpay twirled once before the full-length mirror and giggled.

* * *

Something occurred when Sharpay was in public that elevated her mood. She walked a little taller, swayed her hips with a little more conviction, and unfaltered in her gaze to those she bestowed a glance upon.

It was assertive confidence. She had been raised an Evans, growing up with the finest of teachings, accommodations, and arrangements. Her unapologetic behavior was learned and due in part to being the great great great granddaughter of Kernel Dwight Witherford Evans.

She was proud of her family upbringing and last name and was not afraid to show it through strong sense of self, unparallel to most kids her age.

Whereas others followed, she lead. Classmates sat silent, she was the first raising her hand to ask questions. In choir, singers held back. Well, she used her diaphragm. Each and every aspect of her life was surging forward with no signs of slowing down.

Her weekends were spent working tirelessly to hone her craft. She knew she wanted to go to one of two cities for college. Los Angeles or New York City. There was no in between, no secondary plans- she _would_ see her name in lights.

But that indestructible air of individual strength took a toll on her social life.

Although Sharpay was popular, it was not due to an impressive amount of friends she necessarily had, but rather the downright magnitude of wealth her family owned and how well-known her name, Sharpay Evans, and all the lovely trinkets surrounding her were to others.

Her expansive handbag collection was the talk amongst even her school teachers. Ryan was the proud owner of several high-profile guitars, one of which had been Eric Clapton's', and their annual joint birthday spectacle was the hottest ticket to town, surpassing even the NBA play-offs in popularity and importance. It was a coveted invite, sought not just by their classmates, but even parents wanted to see the inside of the Evan's mansion up close and personal.

These material valuables are what made Sharpay 'popular'.

She had simply four close friends, three of which she'd known since fifth grade, and the fourth was of course her younger brother.

They all ate together at lunch, hung out on the weekends alternating between one of the mansions they resided in, and car-pooled to school together.

One look in Sharpay's cell- phone address book, and many would be quite taken aback to see only a few dozen phone numbers, most of which were family, several were friends, and the bulk remainder were the teachers, tutors, and trainers she worked with during her free time.

She did not waste time harping on the truth of the matter that she was popular due to her father's money and the gossip that generated around town. There was no point in being sidelined by matters she could not change. She didn't ask to be born in the Evans family, and most certainly there would be no apologies for the privileged way in which she and her brother grew up.

So, it was no surprise and of little importance to the Evan's clan when Sharpay stepped out of her father's classic 1958 Jaguar Mark 1 that morning, and all eyes were on her.

"Bye daddy!" she chirped over her shoulder.

With Ryan by her side, they made their journey into East High's doors.

Several upperclassman's heads whipped around as the lithe blonde sashayed past in her form fitting short dress.

Ryan shifted uncomfortably noticing the wanton looks cast in his sister's direction.

Oblivious to the stares, Sharpay happily bounded toward the main entrance with a careless toss of her long locks.

Inside was a chaotic scene of flurried hustle and bustle. Wide-eyed freshman clamored in large packs, clinging to their schedules for dear life as they squinted toward the various doors, looking for their homeroom.

Sharpay cast an amused look toward Ryan who smiled back as they steadily made their way toward Room 401, having (at the insistence of his sister the previous evening) memorized their schedules so as not to draw more attention to the fact that they were freshman.

The two entered their homeroom and sat together toward the front of the room.

Ryan began chatting with Kelsi, a young girl who had moved to Albuquerque at the end of their seventh grade year. She composed music and hit it off with the twins immediately although Sharpay had a habit of speaking for the girl who had difficulty getting a word in, especially when matters of theatrics, pitch, tone- anything musical were discussed.

Knowing Sharpay was truly a decent girl and simply easily excited and deeply passionate about the performing arts, she did not mind when the girl would talk over her or answer questions that had not necessarily been directed in her general direction. In all honesty, it was more amusing than annoying.

Sharpay let her thoughts drift, smiling to herself as her gaze fell upon a large poster hung at the front of the classroom from the various school play productions.

"Oh no, that look spells trouble" a familiar cocky voice pierced through her daydreaming.

Right away she smiled and turned her head toward the young man standing before her.

Poignant cobalt met sky blue.

"Hey Troy" she grinned upon his leaning down to wrap both arms around her shoulders in a friendly hug as her thins arms briefly curled around his neck, resting gently atop his broad shoulders.

They hadn't spoken much over the summer seeing as Troy and Chad had both traveled to Arizona for basketball camp and Sharpay's family summered at their country club on the other side of town.

"Hey yourself" he chuckled, settling down in the seat next to her.

Troy and Sharpay had started off as arch nemesis, before bringing their frequent head-butting down to 'enemy' status thus moving on to acquaintances. Although no one else understood their union- Albuquerque's resident 'ice queen' and the chivalrous white knight actually being able to see eye to eye as it came as a surprise to everyone who knew them, it made sense in their minds.

They were frankly opposites that happened to attract. She was not entertained by his arrogant nature and would not be swayed easily by his good looks (although _vividly _aware of his knee-knocking visage).

He had the time of his life teasing, pestering, badgering, and happily making it his duty by using all means necessary irritate Albuquerque's spoiled princess.

He delighted in the apathetic tone she took with him. Even if he purposely inched his body closer to hers in hopes of watching her falter at their physical closeness the way any other girl would, she didn't bat an eyelash- actually favoring to poke a well-manicured nail to his chest, telling him several colorful ways in which he could direct his tired use of his good looks on some other bimbo blond dumb enough to fall for his antics.

They didn't hang out much outside of school, but on their own time schedules they both looked out for the other (although neither would necessarily admit this small truth, they did have a history of defiant stubbornness with one another that made for sheer entertainment at times to upkeep).

"Hey Ryan…" Troy lamented as he playfully pumped fists with the shy boy.

"Hi Troy" he chuckled.

Sharpay looked on approvingly at their interaction as a woman draped in elaborate green and yellow scarves entered the classroom.

"Whoa… it's like she and a can of Sprite got in a fight…" Troy whispered at his best friend Chad.

"I think she lost" Chad cackled.

Through narrowed eyes Sharpay shot a glare in their direction.

Throwing up his hands in mock defeat, Troy lowered himself further down in the desk taking on a position of comfortable lounging.

"My name is Miss Darbus and I will be your homeroom instructor. I am also the head of the drama department here at East High-"

At this, Sharpay sat up straight, eyes alert as she listened intently.

Troy bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at her awe-worthy gaze that was now plastered across her features.

"Auditions begin early here at East high, for we have three main stage plays every year. One in the fall, winter, and spring"

Ryan glanced over at Kelsi who was furiously scribbling down the dates the woman rattled off pertaining to auditions and callbacks.

"I'll be taking roll now, and take this as your official warning- you have one chance to be late in my class. Tardiness is not accepted and will result in automatic detention."

At that moment, a lanky boy who had grown several inches over the summer walked into the room looking confused but smiling upon seeing fellow teammates Troy and Chad situated in their seats.

"So nice of you to drop by. Name?" Miss Darbus barked.

"Um…uh, Baylor" the boy croaked.

"Zeke?" she asked, skimming over her attendance sheet.

"Mmhmm" he nodded his head.

"No tardies, no excuses, please take your seat" she briskly replied as she dramatically flung a scarf end over her shoulder and took stance behind the large podium at the front of the room.

Zeke quickly dove toward the first open chair, earning a disapproving frown from Miss Darbus at the brief racket caused.

Troy's laughter faltered and he quickly coughed, squashing the fit of boisterous mirth threatening to spill forth from either he or Chad's lips at any moment. This woman was a piece of work.

Sharpay reeled, quickly shushing the boys in an annoyed tone.

"McKessie, Taylor."

"Here!" Taylor called out from several rows back.

"Cross, Jason."

"Right here!" came his reply.

Several other students were called as her roll-taking went on.

"Evans, Sharpay."

"Present!" Sharpay cooed in a perfect French accent.

Miss Darbus lifted an amused eyebrow in the girl's direction. She was met with a sincere flash of a smile. A flicker, only noticed by the petite girl, tugged at the sides of her lips.

At that moment, Miss Darbus became Sharpay's favorite teacher at East High.

"Danforth, Chad" she continued.

"Yo!"

"Detention" she snapped, without missing a beat.

The boy's jaw dropped as the woman continued on with roll-call as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He'd only been in high school five minutes and already he'd earned his first detention.

"Bolton, Troy."

"Here" a hand belonging to a stunningly good-looking young man in the front shot up. Miss Darbus looked up noticing all eyes were on Troy, girls leaned further in the chairs to sneak a glance at the chiseled bone structure, sandy brown hair, and animatedly bright eyes that seemed to teeter between the deepest of ocean blues and the purest of turquoise gemstone.

"I know your father" she expressed more as a statement rather than a question meant for him to answer.

"Yeah, he's the basketball coach" Troy shrugged. It was a sore topic for him. He loved his dad, but it grew tiresome to be both a member of the team and the coach's son. It was a juggling act he'd been trying to figure out since age six.

With an abrupt turn, she lashed out at a girl seated in back smacking on her gum loudly.

After issuing out a second detention in less than two minutes, the class although wide-eyed and still adjusting to high-school, unanimously agreed upon one thing- Miss Darbus was not to be messed with.

* * *

The rest of the wildcat's first day went off without a hitch.

Lunch provided a welcome break to their day as the freshman class chattered in excited tones amongst one another.

Sharpay sat at with her brother and friends at a round table a-top the second story of the lunchroom. Taking in her surroundings, her eyes landed upon Troy as he walked into the bustling room with Chad and Zeke at his side, laughing heartily as Chad's hands wildly flung as he continued to talk.

She observed the way in which he carried himself, the presence he seemed to command, and the sheer force of unabashed handsome looks that left girls gazing adoringly at him.

He seemed unaware of the blatant come-hither stares as he sat with his teammates and dove into his bagged lunch he had brought.

Sharpay allowed herself to peel her eyes away from his copious features as she nudged her can of soda toward her brother.

Without breaking his conversation with Kelsi, Ryan took the can and opened it in one swift movement, silently noting that his sister did not wish to break a nail.

Happily accepting the beverage from his grasp, she took a sip and looked around in contempt at the exquisitely fabulous start to their next four years at East High.

* * *

_**Author's note:**_

This is a filler chapter, but it's something that must be done. I need to establish the wildcats, namely Troy and Sharpay's relationship before I can bring in Gabriella. I will reflect on several important moments through their freshman and sophomore years after which I will feel better about introducing Gabriella's character into this story.


	3. Play For Me

**Fall of Freshman Year...**

She sighed audibly, not caring if the tone in her voice blatantly signaled that she was highly frustrated.

Taylor glanced back at the girl, giving her a quizzical look which only caused her to huff louder. She crossed her arms and lightly tapped her glittery pink gel pen against the edge of the desk. Her nerves were a jumble and her entire chi was off. All because of a wardrobe malfunction earlier in the day.

She caught his side-ward gaze, her beady eyes glaring harshly in his direction, watching in smug satisfaction as his cobalt eyes flashed back downward.

It had happened suddenly-so swift in fact that she'd barely had time to register the ripped nylon before spluttering a series of expletives in the direction of East High's pristine golden boy.

_Troy had raced to beat the clock, slumping down into his seat mere seconds before the bell rang earning any and all latecomers a swift delivery of a tardy slip no matter if they were unfortunate enough to have been held up in the hallways._

_Breathing a slight sigh of relief, he situated himself in the chair, hastily raising his hand proclaiming "Here!" when Miss Darbus called his name during roll-call._

_Scanning the room, he laughed at Jason whose socks were mismatched that day- one solid black, the other navy blue and white stripped , peeking out from under his basketball warm ups._

_That's when the butterflies hit. Today was their first big game. Their team had worked tirelessly late into the evenings running scrimmage after scrimmage, each member grimacing at the burning sensations deeply rooted in their calf muscles as they gritted their teeth and continued forward, not stopping their limbs from lifting up and down against the glossy basketball court. _

_His father had been particularly hard, not even allowing him a dollop of dessert, instead offering a firm red apple much to the chagrin of his taste buds._

"_An apple a day…" his father exclaimed, almost in a sing song voice._

"_Yeah yeah…" Troy mumbled in return._

_Rousing himself from his daydream, a hint of delight resided in his cerulean orbs as he caught sight of Sharpay's rather flashy outfit._

_Her outfit consisted of a short pleated grey mini, a light pink peter pan collared button up, and matching grey tweed vest. Atop her golden locks, which had been dramatically curled that day sat a light pink newsboy cap, expertly positioned atop her head. A pair of knee-high black nylon socks accented by black patent leather Mary Jane heels polished off the ensemble._

_A light snort escaped his lips. It was like an extremely girly version of a 1920's paperboy outfit. _

_She lifted her hand to ask a question pertaining to the fall musical, her charm bracelet jingling loudly as she animatedly waved her arm in the air._

_The chiming, mixed with the ridiculous façade of her clothing formed a mischievous grin as the familiar stirrings of the inevitable aggravation he'd soon cause her bounced around in his mind._

_He'd only meant to swipe at her leg as she filed out of the classroom, his sudden movement hopefully causing her to shriek in a brief moment of fear._

_Music to his ears resounded as the bell rang, indicating their passing period._

_He made eye contact with Chad, dramatically moving his eyes in Sharpay's direction._

_Although Chad couldn't figure out the exact intent of his best friend, he knew that look all too well. Sharpay was about to get punk'd and he couldn't wait to see the end result, almost boastfully leaning back in his chair like a show was about to begin._

_The blond rose from her seat, grabbing her magenta notebook to head toward the drama room for her Shakespeare and the Arts class. _

_Troy seized the moment, watching carefully as she strode forward, reaching out to grab her leg. _

_The zipper dangling from the end of his sweatshirt caught on her tights. _

_A brief ripping noise echoed._

_Their eyes stared down at the torn fabric._

_Chad cackled heartily in the corner, watching her face scrunch in disgust._

"_I didn't, I mean… I was just- it…" Troy sputtered, attempting to place the torn nylon back, watching helplessly as the small scrap of fabric fluttered pathetically to the ground._

_All hell broke lose._

_A string of colorfully sinister foreboding tumbled from her mouth, causing him to shrink back as a particularly nasty threat of what she'd do to "Bolton Jr" flashed a series of graphic unpleasant images through his mind._

Although she'd stomped off to the bathroom to discard of the ruined tights, she was left with a bitter taste in her mouth the remainder of the school day.

Sharpay prided herself in her attire.

It wasn't the vanity that most thought she cared about in regards to her enviable wardrobe full of the latest trends and designer labels.

She loved fashion. It brought her immense joy to pick a 'theme' for each day.

If she awoke feeling rather glum, an elaborate hat was mandatory. Mondays were tough enough already so she made sure to dress in extra festive colors, usually something bright, neon, and always in the warm colors family.

But Fridays? Friday was her favorite day. Something about the anticipation for the weekend left her practically buzzing and radiating an inexplicable kind of positive energy. Fridays were her 'anything goes' day. If she dared to be bold and drape an elaborate mixture of costume necklaces across her negligee, she reveled in being able to do so. Whatever fit her fancy was worn on Fridays. No rules, no frills, just unabashed fun in deciding what side of Sharpay she'd showcase that day.

Troy had ruined that. Sure, it was just tights but she couldn't help but feel cross with his poor judgment.

Couldn't he just be a normal guy and sail a paper airplane toward her head? He'd done that plenty of times!

She'd curse him out in one hiss of a breath before crumbling the device and returning her attention to the front of the classroom, never missing a beat, all the while earning an approving sound of delight from Troy who would chuckle lightly to himself.

Those were the rules. Light heckling, brief scolding, repeat.

_Never_ had destruction of clothing been an option.

She'd threw daggers in his direction every time she saw him. Before third period he tried to approach her while she gathered books from her locker.

"Mm mm!" she shook her head back and forth before he even had a chance to open his mouth.

He hesitated, contemplating his next move. Before sound could escape past his lips, he frowned hearing another equally emphatic,

"Mm mm!"

Pointing awkwardly in the direction of his class, he shuffled along nodding his head as if they'd had a real conversation.

At lunch she heard someone clear their throat behind her.

"Bolton, save it" she warned, reeling on the boy.

"I'm just trying to-"

"To what? Ruin more of my clothes? I don't want to talk to you" she spat, her long locks blanketing over her shoulder with the rapid movement of her head, curtly ending their chat as quickly as it began.

Ryan offered a look of sincere apology, his eyes almost saying '_I'm sorry my sister is being dramatic about her clothes. She knows you didn't really mean it. Forgive (and ignore) her.'_

Troy gave the more quiet of the Evans' twins a small smile before heading back down to join his friends at their usual lunch table.

Later that afternoon, he decided to give it one more shot when he caught her strutting down the hallway before seventh period.

She was on a high after having learned she made callbacks for the Fall play. A joyous melody she could not name filled her ears as she sashayed her hips to the imaginary beat. Things were looking up,

…until Troy Bolton stepped in her line of fire.

'_Damn it.'_

Placing both hands on her hips, she waited.

"Sharpay, look. I'm really sor-" he began, using both hands sternly to emphasize his point. He didn't like apologizing but she'd made him feel like a real jerk earlier. An apology seemed like the right thing to do.

Why couldn't she just be quiet for more than two seconds to allow him to deliver the utterance of regret and go about his day?

She was so _difficult_.

Her sudden look of bewilderment caused Troy's eyes to widen. Her head whipped around to look behind her, then at the ceiling, before dramatically leaning to the side, eyes scanning past Troy's figure.

He turned to look down the hall at whatever it was that caught her interest. Only noticing shuffling students he turned back around.

"What is it Sharpay?" he asked quizzically.

"Oh I'm sorry!" she gasped, an innocent look adorning her fluttering round orbs before she narrowed them.

Through the slits of her eyes she then addressed him in a far more harsh tone than the previous child-like voice she'd used seconds before.

'_Is she bipolar?' _he briefly thought.

She then delivered the blow.

"You must have mistaken me for someone who cares."

A nauseatingly sweet grin was flashed in his direction before she stepped around him, continuing to use East High's corridors as her own personal catwalk.

* * *

They were both completely ignoring one another by the end of the day.

Her friends, Emma, Jackie, and Leah dutifully took turns scowling in Troy's direction during their last period. He rolled his eyes with each glare, a withering look of impatience toying across his dark eyes. He'd had about enough of their antics. He'd been trying to apologize all day and was a bit put off that Sharpay was being even more- well, _Sharpay_ that day. She would not listen nor end her tirades quick enough to allow him to get in a word edge-wise.

The bell chimed noisily and a scuffle of zippers, squeaking desk legs, and hustled footsteps echoed against the white walls. He pumped fists with Chad calling out that he'd meet him outside ten minutes to catch a ride to his place before their game later that evening. Sharpay lingered a moment, quietly letting her friends know she'd join them at their lockers soon.

A reluctant truce was upon the two stubborn students.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Troy spoke, cutting the awkward tension in the air.

"Sharpay I've been trying to say sorry to you all day. I wouldn't purposely ruin your outfit. Not just for a laugh anyways…" his voice trailed off.

Her next choice of words startled him.

"I kind of gave you a hard time."

He half expected her to verbally lay into him once more for good measure. A moment passed without a wordy assault, concluding that he was in the clear.

"I _am_ sorry though, all right?" he insisted.

"Yeah…"

The two shuffled awkwardly before Sharpay hastily made her way into the hallway.

Troy followed, high-fiving several upper classmen on the varsity basketball team.

"Whoop some ass tonight Bolton!" they playfully encouraged.

"So uh… excited for the weekend?" he continued.

"Yeah, I have a lot of work to do for the musical callbacks."

"You made callbacks? Sweet" he lamented.

"Mmhmm" she nodded her head enthusiastically.

"You?"

"We have our big game tonight. Season opener" Troy alluded, puffing out his chest causing her to instinctively roll her eyes.

"Hadn't noticed…" she casually noted, turning suddenly down a corridor with no warning.

"You didn't no-" Troy began, furrowing his brow when he realized he was addressing nothing but air and open space.

"You didn't notice _everyone_is wearing red and white?" he coolly questioned, not skipping a beat.

After spinning in her locker code Sharpay pouted, glancing around at the ill-dressed student body.

"Oh that?" she gave a wave of her hand.

"Everybody always looks like that" she resolved.

Troy snickered, acknowledging another group of basketball players with a head nod.

"I gotta run. The game's gonna be awesome" he stated as pure fact.

"I'm sure it will be…" came her monotone voice from the depths of her very pink locker.

Troy sauntered down the hallway, leaving a trail of dopey eyed girls in his wake.

Sharpay peeked her head out from the confines of her locker, narrowing her eyes after the only young man whom never failed to leave her feeling a mixture of confusion and unabashed admiration.

* * *

Kelsi dutifully sat on the plush forest green couch pushed under the windowsill of Ryan's bedroom as the boy dashed around, plucking a hat from his ornately arranged rack. He examined the bowler-style top, frowning slightly. Reaching out, he slid an East High black cap with a large red paw on the front over his slick blond locks. He grinned, cocking the rim to the side.

"You ready?"

"Yup!" Kelsi was eager to attend her first high school social event.

She'd arranged her hair in pigtails, tying the ends off with red and white ribbon. The red East high t-shirt she wore boasted the head of their wildcat mascot on the front, a large white '#1' in bold iron-on text on the back. Her white shorts and color-coordinated red and white tube socks transformed her into a walking Wildcat advertisement.

Ryan's black baseball cap and matching slacks off-set his red polo. His polished look was still enough school spirit to be deemed worthy of sitting in the coveted student section of the crowd.

The rules were strict at East High. No red, white, or black? No sitting in the student senior class occupied the last three rows of the bleachers, delegating who stayed and who needed to fill in the seats further in front. The junior class, follow by the sophomores diligently filed in accordingly to cheer on their team. Freshman were welcome to sit in the student section, but the dress code must be followed, otherwise you found yourself exiled to the parent section, or even worse- the visitors side.

Knowing they wanted to be situated amongst the infamous student section, Kelsi and Ryan had coordinated with a few other members of the drama club to meet up one hour before the game started. Sure, it was a little early, but it was their first official high school game and they didn't want to procrastinate and end up on the West Knights' side of the court.

The two made their way toward the spiral double banister staircase and Kelsi halted.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

"Let's go ask Sharpay if she wants to come. Just one more time?" the girls' eyes pleaded.

Ryan sighed, letting his shoulders sulk. He'd tried several times earlier that afternoon to convince her it would be an enjoyable evening, hinting that she might even have a little fun.

"_Ryan I have no interest in sports. Why should I care about bumbling buffoons throwing a stinking ball into a net?" she'd haughtily retorted._

"Kels, we already-"

"Please? One more time."

Letting her walk ahead of him, he followed to the end of the hallway where Sharpay's pristine room was situated.

Kelsi reached out, offering a reassuring smile before rapping lightly against the door.

"Sharpay?" she softly called.

"Come in!"

With a twist of the knob, the familiar scent of vanilla candles commingled with the apple and pear body lotion she favored wafted across their nostrils. The shades of coral, rose, and salmon left the faintest hint of blush whispering across their skin. Her ceiling fan slowly churned above, creating a fanciful shadow affect on the walls.

She emerged from her closet, two black flapper style dresses in each hand.

"Do you like this one or this one" she asked, punctuating 'this' by dangling the particular dress she sought council on.

"The left" Kelsi smiled.

Sharpay beamed, focusing her attention on her brother.

"The left Shar" he nodded.

"Fabulous" she muttered approvingly, tossing the winner atop her bed and hanging the second dress back on her rotating rack.

She cheerfully mused over her collection of shoes, her enraptured mind slightly forgetting her friend and brothers' cleared his throat, giving Kelsi a side glance indicating _'Say something!'_

"Uh, so Sharpay we were just wondering. I mean, I know you said no and everything but, are you sure you don't want to just come to the game?"

"I'm sure!" she happily chirped.

Kelsi bit her bottom lip. That wasn't the answer she'd hoped for.

"Okay! Well, have a great night sis!" Ryan perkily replied, reaching out for Kelsi's arm which she gently tugged away.

"Sharpay it's the first game of the season. It's our first high school game _ever_!" she pressed.

Sharpay stared at the girl as if she had suddenly sprouted four heads.

"I just thought we could all go together…" her voice trailed off.

"If you change your mind let us know okay?" she added.

Sharpay silently watched them leave.

She stood by her bed contemplating her evening. She'd planned earlier to go over her solo, figure out wardrobe details , and get a good night's rest wanting to be in tip top shape for her piano, singing, and tennis lessons the next day.

Boi's bell nestled against the collar tinkled as the dog lifted his head and curiously cocked it to the side. The two stared at one another.

"All right, fine!" she threw her hands in the air with exasperation.

Rushing to the banister, she declared,

"Kelsi! I don't have anything to wear…"

Ryan grinned brightly as he watched the brunette bound up the staircase, squealing in delight at his sisters change of heart.

* * *

"Our school colors are red and white Shar" Ryan grumbled.

Their father's Jaguar raced down the streets, carrying the teens in the backseat.

"So?" she demanded.

"We actually _wanted_ to sit in the student section tonight" he argued.

"I don't see what the big fuss is. I'm going to the game, right?"

"Yes, and we're happy you are" Kelsi urged, shooting Ryan a testy look.

He sunk down lower in his seat, annoyed that they would undoubtedly be regulated to the parent section.

The sleek black car rounded the corner and after a polite thank you from Kelsi, the fixing of Ryan's hat, and a pick up time agreed upon by both twins, the trio set off toward the bustling felt his stomach sink noticing some of the confused stares at his sister's attire. Not only was she not wearing any black or red, she had decided that loud magenta would be her way of dressing festively.

Her hair was arranged in a messy high ponytail and the neon t-shirt she adorned was accented by a pleated white mini. Her outrageously pink and gold sneakers shimmered under the dim street lights.

She looked like the perfect cheerleader for Pepto Bismal.

The students waltzed past the heavy double doors, squinting as the bright lights blazed overhead. Sharpay stood a little taller, taking the initiative to strut directly up to the student section. A weary Kelsi and Ryan stood back, watching her brazen behavior. Hushed whispers resounded amongst a group of sophomore-aged girls. Sharpay's blond locks bounced as she surveyed the crowd, scouting out a good seat. A sour-faced looking brunette with wickedly dark forest green eyes smirked at the naïve freshman. Straightening her posture, she tossed her long straight chestnut locks over her shoulders.

"Excuse me" she drawled.

Sharpay turned her head, an amused twinkle in her eye.

Raising one perfectly arched eyebrow, the girl sneered,

"What do you think you're doing?"

The glittering sparkle in the younger girl's eyes grew larger.

She simply _loved_ a challenge.

"I can tell you what I'm _not_ doing" the blond announced, crossing her arms lazily across her chest.

The sophomore waited, a dangerous glint residing within her gaze.

"Oh?"

"I'm not pretending I care one bit about basketball. Unlike your jaded façade, I'm actually being myself. You and your unfortunate looking army of followers are most tragically predictable. You will sit here, hoping one of the oh-so-cute players looks in your direction, giving you enough delusion that maybe you aren't still the buck toothed awkward girl from middle school"

The brunettes' hand shot over her mouth and a look of utter rage flashed across the dark torrents of her eyes. Her friends gaped at Sharpay, shocked by her cunningly blunt words.

"Nice two dollar bin polyester blend t-shirt by the way. Talbot's? My my, that color on you is so…" Sharpay's shimmering blue eyes roamed over the girls' features, a playfulness to them as her mouth spread, revealing a wide set grin as she dispatched her ending dig " fetching" she crooned.

"Bitch…" the girl muttered under her breath.

"Call me something I haven't heard before" Sharpay pointedly smacked her tongue against her teeth, boredom now setting in. Why had she come to this basketball game again?

"Hey Sharpay!" Doug, a junior that was making it his sole mission to score a date with her waved from a few rows up.

"Come sit with us!" he motioned toward her, ushering two of his friends to scoot down and make room.

"Fabulous" she halfheartedly groaned, frowning for the first time that evening.

It wasn't that she didn't find Doug attractive. In fact, Leah had been hounding her for weeks, scoffing at the idea that Sharpay was not willingly throwing herself upon the handsome Lacrosse captain. He opened doors for girls, handed in his homework on time, respected his parents, and arguably had _the _cutest relationship with his younger brother, as she'd witnessed one day after school watching the two horse around feeling her own lips mimicking their smiles as Doug tickled the squirming six year old.

So why didn't she like him?

She had an inkling as to why they'd never be a "we", but forced the idea from her thoughts. Instead, she searched for her brother and Kelsi, finding the two standing together looking dumbfounded and glued to the spot on the court.

"Are you two coming?" she asked in semi-bewilderment.

Before she made her way to sit with the juniors, she cast one last seething smile at the prissy-looking brunette who was now pouting.

* * *

The basketball game was intense and expertly well played, even Sharpay could admit that much. The Knights led by five points up until the end of the second quarter. After Coach Bolton re-ignited the passion within his boys during half-time, a newly energized Wildcat team sprinted back onto the court. Troy easily scored two three pointers, putting the Wildcats at the forefront of the scoreboard.

The faint vestiges of a smile played upon her lips as she watched him jog up the court, wiping sweat from his brow with his forearm. He was so determined, a passion radiating across his entire being that sent little jolt shocks ablaze throughout her skin, making her flesh tingle. That drive, the gumption he possessed to make sure he brought his team to a victory created a stirring of sensations inside her.

…an awakening of sorts. Maybe even a rousing of, dare she admit it, her heart.

The loud chants of the student section, now counting down the last ten seconds jilted her back to her senses.

Her fingers loosened their grasp upon the bench beneath her as the shrieks grew to a ear-splitting decibel.

"FIVE!"

"FOUR!"

Ryan and Kelsi jumped up and down ecstatically.

"THREE!"

Troy stopped running, letting the ball bounce carelessly in his absence as a jubilant grin characterized his face and he thrust both fists above his head.

"TWO!"

His sapphire eyes shown a cyclone of sheer joy as he raced toward Chad, the two embracing one another in an act of brotherly love as the buzzer reverberated across the gymnasium and the already deafening screams reached a near damaging level.

"ONE!!"

Sharpay felt a pair of strong muscular arms wrap around the curve of her small waist as Doug hoisted her up and hugged her from behind.

A fit of tittering delight escaped from her lips as she finally allowed herself to join in on the celebration.

* * *

The student section was beginning to disperse at a glacial pace. The crowd still buzzed from the Wildcat triumph. Ryan animatedly chatted with two of his friends and Kelsi stared dreamily onto the court. Sharpay followed her line of vision, noticing Jason Cross, another JV player clapping his hand across Troy's back in a congratulatory gesture. Seeing as the two appeared rather occupied, Sharpay balanced herself steadily atop the bleachers to make her descent. She had almost just passed the locker room entrance when a familiar husky voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"_That_ is your Wildcat support?"

She smiled inwardly, noting the playful teasing tone.

"I'm here aren't I?"

She turned on her heel to face the JV captain.

His cheeks were still flush with heat and his tanned skin glistened with sweat causing her eyes to quickly widen before she caught herself.

Troy noticed her blatant gawking, however brief it may have been, and chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny?" she challenged.

"Nothing" he held his arms out, feigning innocence.

The two smirked as they sized up one another, waiting for the next jab. Abruptly feeling the room temperature change as she stared into his eyes, she suddenly felt the urge to break their contact and rush outside into the fresh air.

"Good game Bolton" she briskly offered, turning quickly to continue on toward the exit, not wanting him to notice the slight blush that now threatened to spread across her warm cheeks.

"You aren't coming to Chads'?" he asked, the faintest hint of hurt teetering upon his words.

Her aloof attitude slightly bothered him in that this was East High's first big game, the big season opener- a game _he_ scored the final basket in, and she didn't seem to care.

Truth be told, she was practically running from the festivities.

Chad came over at that moment, grabbing Troy's shoulders and squeezing his blades several times.

"We owned those mofo's tonight!" he shouted.

Troy laughed, playfully swatting at his best friend.

"PARTY AT DANFORTHS'!" Chad bellowed to passerby's, rattling off his street address to anyone within ear-shot.

"I'm only inviting East High's biggest fans who were here tonight to cheer us onto victory!" he hollered to a hearty round of applause before running back to join his teammates still huddled courtside.

Ryan and Kelsi appeared, smiling brightly at Troy and provided their own congratulations which caused his eyelashes to lower in modesty at all the praise he was receiving.

"Maybe I'll see you guys at the party" he noted before another wave of admirers engulfed him, cutting off a reply.

"So, do you guys want to go? It could be fun" Ryan shrugged, seeking a sign of approval from either girl.

"Sharpay!"

Her head whipped around.

"You know, under the right lighting, maybe that could be considered red" Troy lamented before Zeke and Jason boosted him onto their shoulders, carrying the evenings' superstar off toward his awaiting fans.

"I guess we could make an appearance" she expressed, acting as though the idea bugged her.

Contrary to the exterior, inside Sharpay Evans' heart sang in unadulterated excitement.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**

Thanks to Dani (Pandora147) for lighting a fire under my a to get serious about my writing. If you haven't already, check out her story Someday. I should make notice to the fact that this story will be told in certain segments and "defining moments" to build characterization of Sharpay and Troy throughout their first year and a half of high school. I expect about 3-4 more Gabriella-less chapters before I get to Christmas break and Troy's change in behavior.


	4. A Common Thread

Inside Chad's house, the scene was chaotic. Groups of teenagers chattered animatedly with one another throughout the living room.

"Chug, chug, chug!" several baseball players hooted at their captain who was currently involved in a beer contest with Troy.

"C'mon Hoops!" Chad hollered, jumping up and down in excitement.

Troy slammed down his empty beer can, pumping both fists in the air victoriously.

"YEAH!" he shouted, smiling proudly as his team-mates congratulated him with brotherly hand claps across the back.

"You won this time, Bolton!"

"Ha Greg, I win _every_ time" Troy boasted.

"Yeah, yeah…" the boy waved him off with a laugh.

"Beer pong? We're next Captain!" Chad nodded his head in the direction of the table set up outside.

"Save my spot, I'm just gonna go grab some chips or something."

* * *

Troy made his way through the congested room, feeling the suggestive pelvic thrust of several cheerleaders and upperclassmen to which he half-heartedly returned the gesture, pausing to execute a two-step before moving along through the crowd.

"Sup Debra, nice moves!" he whispered to a red-head who slithered up to him.

"How you doin' girl?" he flashed a smile at one of the Wildcat cheerleaders.

"Save me a dance later, Troy?" a busty brunette playfully flirted.

"We'll see… you're up to no good, Stace" his sparkling eyes teased.

Spotting a particularly determined looking frisky blond sophomore by the name of Julie known to actively delight in trapping boys in a web of mind-games, Troy's eyes widened and he made a bee-line in the opposite direction.

Once inside the kitchen, he was relieved to find the room unoccupied.

Letting out a sigh, he pushed both hands through the silky strands of his brown locks. He rubbed his eyes for several moments, the buzz of alcohol finally seeming to catch up with him.

He opened one of the cabinets in the Danforth kitchen he knew to be stocked with junk food and snacks and grinned upon his discovery of a bevy of pretzels, Ruffles, and other goodies. Silently, he thanked Chad's mother for stocking the pantry before leaving for their weekend jaunt to Sandia Peak.

He'd just shoved several Pringles into his mouth when the wooden doors came slamming shut, causing him to jump back in surprise, choking slightly on the salty crisps.

"Whaaaaht zhe fzuck?!" he yelped.

"Gotcha!" Julie giggled.

Troy eyed the girl cautiously, slowly chewing down the mouthful of food.

She watched him, allowing her eyes to freely roam over his body which caused him to blush at the brazen appraisal of his form.

"Something wrong?" she innocently asked.

"Uh, no… hey Jules" he attempted to casually converse with the sixteen year old.

"You're turning red" she noted.

"It's the beer."

"I don't see a drink…" she pretended to look in his hands and the nearby counter top for signs of a red cup belonging to him.

"It's just a little warm in here" immediately, he regretted his choice of words as he felt her penetrate his personal space that much more.

"Nice game, Bolton" she purred.

"Th-thanks" he stuttered, chastising himself for coming across so nervous when truly he felt a mixture of nausea and disdain for the girl before him.

Julie was pretty enough, she had height but not in such a way where she towered over boys, her long cascading straight locks glistened under the lighting, and her slim athletic legs were clad that night in a rather nonexistent pair of tight red hot pants. In that moment Troy noticed the medium size white iron-on lettering that bared the number '1' and a-fuck... it was his jersey number.

"See something you like?"

"Nice shorts" he offered.

"Look uh, I was just on my way outside Chad and the guys' are-"

"Tim and Spence are still playing, it's not your turn yet" she interrupted.

He felt his throat closing up, finding it difficult to swallow as she leaned in further. The scent of her fruity-smelling perfume invaded his nostrils and the firm swell of her breasts brushed suggestively against his chest.

"AHHH!!" a screeching cry came from behind the awkward pair.

Troy glanced over Julie's shoulder to find Sharpay sprawled across the floor, arms flinging helplessly.

She looked pointedly in his direction indicating she was not only unhurt but simply providing him an out.

She resumed her cries, writhing on the ground in an imaginary pain.

"Oh gosh- Sharpay!" he ran over to the girl, kneeling at her side and trying to hold his laughter inside at the dramatic site before him.

"Are you all right?" Julie huffed in annoyance looking down upon the girl, not bothering to extend forth a helping hand.

"NOOO!" Sharpay bellowed.

"Where does it hurt?" Troy pretended to check her torso for any cuts or bruises.

"My ankle" the blond whimpered.

Her eyes filled with tears and he watched as her bottom lip quivered. He bit his own lip to stop himself from laughing out loud.

"Julie, could you grab some ice?" he suggested.

"Ugh, whatever" she hissed, stomping over to the refrigerator and yanking open the freezer door.

With tears falling down her cheeks, Sharpay threw a dirty glare at the girl.

"Owww!" she whined.

"Julie?"

"I'm freakin' coming, geez! Just gimme a second" the annoyed girl clamored through several dressers attempting to find a Ziploc baggie to hold the ice.

She returned shortly thereafter, thrusting the bag at Troy and stalking off in a near-rage, spitting an insincere "I hope your leg gets better" over her shoulder at the girl before making her way back into the black-light induced living room.

As soon as she was gone, Troy laughed heartily.

"That was awesome!"

Sharpay wiped her cheeks of tears and jumped up enthusiastically to smooth out her t-shirt and rumpled miniskirt.

"Thanks for helping me out back there" Troy chuckled.

"You were a goner" Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"I was not! I was telling her I wasn't interested!"

"Uh-huh. Was that before or after she was finished molesting you?"

"…and you're welcome" Sharpay added before waltzing over to the counter top to fill a red cup with equal parts diet coke and vanilla flavored vodka.

"Bolton! Get your ass out here!" came a shout from the patio.

"Your fellow jocks await- go" Sharpay deadpanned, eyes trained on pouring the cocktail before her.

"See ya out there" Troy acknowledged before heading off toward a disgruntled Chad who tapped his foot impatiently by the doorframe.

* * *

After two rounds at ping pong, with the first match being declared "inhumane and unjustly gross" by Chad, the winning captain and co-captain were engrossed in what appeared to be the longest belching contest known to mankind.

"You guys are so gross" Taylor scoffed.

Troy sighed, no longer humored by the contest.

"Dude, you win. I'm spent."

"Victorious for a second time this evening" Chad gave an exaggerated bow as a few onlookers gave a round of applause.

"Thank you… thank you. I'm here Monday through Friday, nine to five" he winked.

"So really, if you look at the alignment of nature, the demise and annihilation of our planet is indeed imminent" Ryan was telling a deer in headlights-shocked Kelsi, and a skeptical Taylor.

"That will not happen for at least another hundred years. We have enough natural resources for decades" Taylor argued.

"I heard fresh-lake water is going to run out in less than fifteen years" Jason whispered through several slurs.

"Your mom will run out in less than fifteen years!" an anonymous party-goer cackled.

"Shut up, man!"

"What _are_ you talking about?!" Chad interjected, making room for himself, where there was no space, on the floral-print loveseat in between Kelsi and Taylor.

"The end of the world" Jason gulped.

"Bullshit, we're fine!"

"I didn't think you could say anything dumber and yet here we are…" Taylor groaned.

"Yes, here we are McKessie" Chad threw an arm over her shoulder, missing the verbal dig and earning himself an elbow to the ribs.

"Make love not war!" he winced, rubbing at his ribcage.

Troy stretched his legs out, having already taken over the lone lawn chair next to Zeke.

"Why so blue man?"

"Nothin'…"

"You are not drunk enough" Chad solemnly announced.

"Seriously, what gives? You've been mopping around here all night" Troy pressed.

"She didn't even say hi to me."

"Who?"

"_Her_!" he emphasized.

"Okay, I don't know who her is" Troy shrugged.

"Who _she_ is!" Taylor cried, throwing her hands in the air.

Zeke leaned over and lowered his voice.

"Sharpay."

"Barbie?" Jason asked.

"You mean the ice queen?!" Chad snapped his head up.

"Miss Eva- I mean, Sharpay?" Kelsi inquired.

"Gross…" Taylor shuddered.

"Uh, hello?" Ryan waved his hand making his presence known.

"I didn't know you were that into her man. Just go talk to her" Troy encouraged, ignoring the eye daggers being cast his way from his friends.

"She'd never talk to me. She comes from caviar. I'm chicken and beer. She's Evian, I'm tap water. She's the Ritz Carlton, I'm Super 8."

"Okay, a, you need to give yourself a little more credit than a Super 8 motel, and b, she's just a girl" Troy assured the boy.

"I hate to break up this tender and moving Hallmark moment, but I think we'd all appreciate it if Troy and Zeke would remove their dresses now and end this tea party" Chad announced.

"Shut it Danforth!" Zeke shouted before hustling back inside.

"Good one, dick" Troy delivered.

"Dude, she's just a bi-"

Ryan gawked in surprise.

"just a lovely, swell, wholesome girl!" Chad quickly saved face.

"I know what you were going to say, but thanks for trying."

"Any time Evans!"

Troy's head began to pound lightly. The mistake of four beers in the course of an hour was leaving him feeling full and inebriated.

"I'm just gonna…" his voice trailed off as he drug himself from the clutches of the comfy chair and stumbled inside.

* * *

Once again darting from the grips of Julie, he climbed the staircase and made his way around the corner to a little side-nook of the second floor wing that led to a small outdoor ledge leading to the attic.

He opened the door, closing it gently behind him and climbed the three small steps to the banister-protected edge.

Bending over, he rubbed his temples softly.

"Fuck me…" he sighed in exhaustion.

"No thanks Bolton."

"Holy fuck!" Troy shrieked several octaves higher than his normal tone.

"Nice range there. You should maybe think about trying out for the spring musical?"

He turned to find Sharpay nestled on the ground, sitting with her legs draped between the banister legs and dangling over the edge.

"What? Why are you up here? Wait- try out for a spring musical?"

"It was a joke Bolton, calm down. Although, you really do have a nice range."

"Uh…thank you?"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He'd moved away from the gang to get a moment to himself.

"I was just leaving…" Sharpay made a movement to get up.

"No, it's all right. Sorry, I was rude just then. I didn't know anyone else knew about this spot. You've never been to Chad's house before so…"

"I didn't. I found this little ledge while searching for a bathroom that actually had a roll of toilet paper."

"You took a wrong turn."

"Obviously."

"So, you joining me down here or what?"

Troy carefully sat down, maneuvering his legs between the banisters to allow his limbs to drape over the ledge.

"I hate parties."

"You're never at them."

"Because I hate them!" Sharpay defended.

She took another long swig from her red cup. Troy peered over, noticing the liquid was still to the brim.

"Slow drinker?"

"Third cup of the night, Mr. Observant."

"That's quite a few drinks for someone who hates parties."

"What else am I supposed to do here?"

"I don't know? Talk? Dance? Make friends?"

"Amateur stuff" she wrinkled her nose.

"So why are you here then?"

She stiffened. Troy frowned, fearing his blunt response was the cause of her awkwardness.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just mean, if you hate social gatherings so much, then why'd you come here tonight?"

"I don't dislike social gatherings."

"You just said-"

"I _know_ what I just said. I said I hate parties."

"But parties are social gatherings!"

"Not all social gatherings have to be parties, Troy. I know in jock-world that may prove true."

"Ouch…" Troy chuckled.

"Sorry" she offered.

"No offense taken."

Troy reached into his side pocket, extracting a can of Miller Draft.

"Do you always come fully stocked with liquid reserves?"

"I grabbed it on the way upstairs" he sniggered, cracking open the lid.

"Uh-huh."

The two sat quietly, sipping their drinks and looking out at the individuals below. A couple was making out standing against an old blue Acura, a young girl was aimlessly walking in the empty street holding her cell phone up shrieking "Just one fucking bar, Jesus!", and a group of students were carrying a laughing redhead into a Jeep.

"She dropped her fucking shoe… here" a prissy-sounding voice resounded.

Troy watched as Julie sprinted down the doorsteps.

"She's a real piece of work, that one" Sharpay muttered, raising one eyebrow as she gulped down another helping of her drink.

"Yeah, she's trouble."

The quiet resumed once more as they watched students come and go.

"I don't really like parties either" Troy blurted out.

"Well, well, Mr. East-High himself doesn't like all the attention" Sharpay mocked.

Troy remained silent.

"Have you ever just felt like all you want to do is be like a snake?"

"Um, no can't say I've ever had that thought cross my mind."

"I mean, the way snakes shed their skin. They just leave it behind. Have you ever just wanted to leave yourself behind and be something new?"

Sharpay stared at the boy. He swayed slightly in his drunken stupor. The heated warmth of the alcohol kept her from shivering in that moment. Sure, they were friends. She'd known Troy since they were toddlers, but they never truly hung out one on one.

Chad was always around, or her brother was present if they found themselves in proximity to one another. Furrowing her brow, she couldn't clearly remember a time it had ever been just she and Troy.

The liquor was helping loosen the two up.

"I guess so. Everyone thinks I'm this raging bitch."

"That's not true" Troy lied.

"Ice Queen I think it is that they call me?" his guilt-ridden eyes stared at the beer in his hands, nodding her head at his silent confirmation she continued, "Yeah, Sharpay Evans, the Ice Queen. Here to freeze your heart and trample on your feelings" she clicked her teeth.

"Not everyone thinks that."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Name one person you haven't heard call me by that name" she challenged.

"Zeke."

"Baylor?"

"You know his last name?" Troy smiled to himself knowing this fact would brighten his teammates' day.

"Sure, he's in a couple of my classes. He's always trying to pawn off his lunch on me."

"His lunch?"

"Yeah, like he'll always offer me something from his lunch. It's kinda weird."

"Oh yeah, he's into cooking."

"Hmm" she mused.

"He's a good guy."

"Okay…"

Troy cleared his throat feeling a bit uncomfortable trying to be the match-maker between his friends. Love wasn't really his best forte.

"Anyways, I get what you mean. We all want to be someone other than ourselves some days" Sharpay resolved.

"I feel that way almost _all_ days" Troy muttered, looking out across the Albuquerque skyline.

It was a candid truth he hadn't meant to voice aloud.

Abruptly, he scrambled to his feet, almost knocking over Sharpay's drink in the process.

"Shit, sorry…"

"Whoa there…" she drawled, reflex kicking in to grab at the cup.

"I'm uh… gonna go back downstairs. I sort of just left without telling anyone where I was going."

"Okay!" Sharpay cheerfully exclaimed, still drunk off the three vodka coke mixtures.

"You gonna be okay?" Troy shook his head, "I mean uh, out here on the ledge. Be careful, all right?"

"Roger that" Sharpay gave a careless thumbs up, entertained by texting into her pink bedazzled cell phone.

Troy bound down the stairs, shaking off the feelings stirred from being so raw and exposed as he made his way back to the patio to join his teammates and friends.

Sharpay sat alone atop the ledge. After several moments, sure that Troy was out of hearing distance she set down her phone in her lap.

Resting her head against the banister legs she spoke, barely above a whisper,

"I know how you feel Troy…"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks to my readers for being patient with this story. The plot means a lot to me. I have several stories (3) in the works right now and I'm making the effort to not be one of "those" writers who starts new works yet doesn't seem to ever _finish_ anything. Let me know what you think of this chapter, it's always fun to write party scenes for the wildcats.


End file.
